Project C
by Serena
Summary: The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore SciFi. Features Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 1  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

A/N : This is an AU of an AU. Cross-references to my other fics, "Fulfilled Desire" and "All Dogs Go To Heaven" because I'm too lazy to re-write common ficverse elements. The fic is broken into several sections, each with a different writing style. Sorry, but I do love experimenting:-)

Due to formatting restrictions, the fic will be divided into uneven chapters to accommodate changes in formatting styles. Sorry!

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_High atop a barren, dusty cliff overlooking the vast, sprawling gray expanse of the Midgar ruins, the end draws near. _

_The beauty of Mankind's last sunset was marred by columns of thick smoke rising from thousands of burning cities, and a bright crimson heaven bruised with dark, ominous clouds, and streaked by continuous flashes of dark lightning. Endless cries of despair resounded throughout the charred lands, as the loss of lives continued to mount._

_Swarms of mutated dragons and demon-winged airships circled the air, spewing lethal firepower onto towns and villages, incinerating all living creatures. On the ground, massive colonies of clones, monsters and hellspawns were on the move; violently tearing everything down with claws and magic, and setting ablaze the lands as far as the eye could see. Lakes and rivers had dried up long ago, and the oceans had turned into poisonous waters infested with unthinkable evil that multiplied viciously, devouring everything in its path._

_The Planet was dying._

_And this time, there was no Omega to carry Life to another world._

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**ν - εуλ 0018/10**

"Damn it, it's not supposed to end this way!" Zack cried out as he tried to shake the blonde awake. He knelt closer, and started to press his palms on heaving chest in the hopes of staunching the copious blood flow, but to his dismay, ghostly fingers simply passed through the bloody punctures, horribly torn skin and burnt flesh.

Zack stared at Cloud Strife, the man he had been with for the past decade. Even after Aeris left for the Promised Land to reunite with her people, Zack remained behind. Unable to sever the lingering attachments he had with the land of living, Zack chose to stay back, guiding and helping his sole companion in any way he could. Voices in the head, dreams that foretell the future, pleasant flashbacks of the past, the instinct to react in _that_ particular way; those were the various ways that Cloud had described him, which Zack thought was rather endearing.

But there was only so much a spiritual entity could do.

Cloud lay motionless on exactly the same spot where Zack last exhaled his last breath nearly ten years ago, his arms outstretched, and the crimson cloak he inherited from the late Valentine spread underneath like a deepening pool of blood. He looked so pale and weak, Zack thought sadly, as a finger ghosted on the blonde's cheeks. After months of running and hiding from the unstoppable hordes of monsters, Cloud finally succumbed to exhaustion and cruelly-lacerated wounds that were beyond healing or curative magic. First Tsurugi lay on the blood-soaked ground by his right hand, useless and badly dented from overuse.

It took a moment before Zack realized that Cloud had stopped to struggle for air. His chest was no longer trembling with every rise and fall, nor was his breathing wheezing and ragged as before. In the silence broken by thunderstorms raging in the skies above, the blonde relaxed; the signs of pain and torment finally faded away, leaving an almost innocent, youthful face that Zack had not seen for the many years.

A single tear fell from bright indigo-blue eyes.

Somewhere from below the plateau, there were earsplitting roars and hungry growls. Jenova's hellspawns were fast approaching and there _many_ of them, judging from the rising sounds of clawed feet and beatings of feathered wings.

Zack shook his head, feeling the raven spikes sway gently with the ash-choked breeze. He couldn't do anything. No one could do anything. One by one, Cloud's friends had been killed in the massacre that lasted for years, and it took every ounce of strength in the thin blonde to make that last journey to this sanctuary; the small, desolate cliff overlooking the forgotten ruins of Midgar. For some inexplicable reason, the rusted Buster Sword that stood vigilant over the small patch of ground seemed to drive away monsters… until now. Cloud and Zack's final resting place was about to be desecrated by the same evil that drove them to the edge in the very first place. The chain of events had finally come to a full circle, Zack thought darkly.

"Z.. Zack?"

Zack stiffened, startled, and looked down at his friend. All the grime, sweat, mud and blood had disappeared from the blonde's face. Beautiful, clear Mako-blue eyes stared upwards in wonder; wrinkles from age and scars from countless battles on the blonde's limbs have miraculously dissipated into thin air.

"Is… is that really you?" Cloud whispered, almost fearful that he would wake up from yet another of his restless dreams, to a cold, empty bed. One hand reached up shakily, which Zack gratefully grasped and held tightly for the first time, in many achingly long years.

"No…" Zack replied with a wistful smile, ignoring the tears that threatened to spill.

Cloud looked up in confusion.

Zack placed Cloud's hand against his heart, imagining a strong, steady heartbeat for the blonde to _feel_. Rain began to fall in a light drizzle, but neither of them felt wetness of raindrops nor the dampness of the barren ground beneath them.

"You're not supposed to see me, Spike," Zack continued and bent down to touch his forehead against Cloud's.

Cloud frowned at Zack's words, and then realization dawned upon him. This time, Cloud smiled.

"I know. I guess it's time for me to go, isn't it?" he asked, and reached out with his other hand to pull the older man down towards him. It was strange, Cloud thought, as there was no warmth in their embrace. Cloud shivered despite the closeness. There was something cooling, chilling, radiating from his core.

Zack could hear the monsters climbing up to the plateau. In a few more steps, in a few more moments.

"So.. cold," Cloud sighed tiredly, feeling a little dizzy and suddenly light-weighted.

"I am always by your side."

Cloud closed his eyes, savouring the last sensations that his body allowed – the comforting darkness descending upon him, Zack's familiar scent that overwhelmed everything else, the firm touch of a friend whom he'd missed so much.

And the sweet, lingering aftertaste of a gentle kiss in the sunset.

"Always."

A small, pinpoint of light was born from the darkness. Its ethereal white luminescence grew in intensity, its size increasing in each passing second. The distinct borders between whiteness and blackness began to blur and distort as the incandescent sphere expanded.

Suddenly, the focus of light shot forward, leaving behind a golden streak of pure brilliance and unparalleled brightness. And then, there was nothing more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 2  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

**A/N : Due to formatting restrictions, this chapter will look crappy unless you do the following (I'm old-school, I know) :**

**1. Copy and paste the chapter into Notepad. Alternatively, paste it into some word-processing programme and set the font style to "Courier New, size 10"**

**2. Change the round brackets in "- )" to angle brackets.**

**3. Ignore the hyphens that precede each line. Pretend they're dot-matrix print-outs or something.**

**4. If you want the original chapter its fully-formatted glory, feel free to contact (see my user profile).**

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- WELCOME TO G.A.I.A. CORE CONTROL SYSTEM v2.0  
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- ) RUN USER RESTRICTION LEVEL 90  
- ACCESS DENIED  
- ABORT, RETRY, FAIL?  
- ) a  
- Z:\  
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- WARNING WARNING WARNING  
- CLASS-A CRISIS ACTIVATION SIGNAL DETECTED  
- CLASS-A CRISIS ACTIVATION SIGNAL CONFIRMED  
- CLASS-A RESTRICTION NULLIFIED  
- Z:\  
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- ) RUN USER RESTRICTION LEVEL 90  
- ACCESS GRANTED  
- . . . . . . . . . .  
- . . . . . .  
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- Project-C (C) Copyright (ν)εуλ 0018 Shinra, Inc.  
- INSTALLATION SUCCESSFUL  
- . . .  
-  
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- PLEASE ENTER USER ID  
- ) xxxxx  
- NON-CETRA USER IDENTIFIED. PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD  
- ) xxxxxxxxxx  
- . . .  
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- PASSWORD ACCEPTED  
- LOADING Project-C  
- . . .  
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- CORESPACE MEMORY UTILIZED: 95 percent  
- LIFESTREAM CAPACITY UTILIZED: 98 percent  
- . . . . .  
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- Project-C LOADED SUCCESSFULLY  
- . . . .  
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- LOADING Restart.exe  
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- COMMENCING SYSTEM SHUTDOWN  
- 5 4 3 2 1  
-  
-  
- RESTARTING . . .


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 3  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

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Far within the depths of a hidden laboratory inside Mako Reactor #0, Rufus leaned back against the dirt-covered metal walls with a weary sigh, and with a deft flick of his chin, moved that stubborn lock of blonde hair away from his sight. Fatigue was evident on his face and body, splatters of dried blood dirtied his once-pristine, immaculate white suit, a smoking rifle in one hand, and a dust-covered laptop in the other. Three heavily-armored six-legged corpses lay spasming on the steel-plated floor, just a stone's throw away from where he sat.

Reno lowered his fully-customized, eight-slotted electromagnetic rod unsteadily and tucked it away into his pocket, certain that they had won the battle, although they had lost the war a long time ago. He ignored the quiver in his muscles that were screaming desperately for rest and sleep, or the blood seeping out from deep cuts on tattered sleeves and pants. It had been a hellish day for the two men who sought refuge in the empty lab seventy floors under the fallen Midgar plates which, as far as the redhead Turk knew, no one in Shinra had any knowledge of. Well, except Rufus, of course. Rufus always had some brilliant solution to their never-ending struggle against Jenova spawns. It didn't help though; those bloodthirsty, hellbent critters kept coming and coming…

Reno huffed and checked his PHS for the third time that day. He had lost contact with the other Turks, and the fact that Rude had not called in for the last twenty-four hours probably meant that the crazy thunderstorms had screwed their communication lines… or that they've all met an untimely end. Nope. Couldn't be. There was no certainty of his comrades' situations. No reports, no evidence. Yet. Reno wasn't the sort of person who dwelled on dark thoughts; he _believed_, and still _believed_, that the Turks were an invincible organization, and no matter what crap Fate had in store for them, they would emerge alive and _hopefully_, victorious.

Hope and belief were two words that Reno had never put much trust on, as far as his life was concerned. He wouldn't bet his hard-earned gil on them, but this time, he had to. The Turks were his only family he had.

Reno stretched and squatted next to Rufus, giving the much-abused leg muscles a well-deserved respite from holding onto a standing battle-stance for the past few hours. He peered over Rufus' shoulders and eyed the small, badly cracked laptop resting on the president's thighs, but he didn't really understand the jargons and technical _stuff _that scrolled down continuously the tiny green-lit screen. Lighting was dismally poor in the lab; the Turk could hardly make out the any shapes or details in the foreboding darkness other than a few stagnating mako-filled tanks, an odd-looking spherical terminal at the center of the room, and the long cable that connected it to Rufus' laptop.

Reno scratched a red scar underneath his cheekbones. "You sure it's gonna work, boss?"

Rufus remain unperturbed by the Turk's intrusion. He continued tapping on the keys fervently, having being interrupted once too many times by random attacks from insect-like monsters infesting the remains of the once-proud Shinra Tower.

"I've spent a lifetime working on this, Reno. Have a little more faith in your president, won't you?" the calm reply echoed in the dark, dank-smelling laboratory. Reno could almost see the smirk on Rufus' face.

There was a audible click as Rufus pressed the "Enter" key, and the laptop screen went blank. Reno missed the comforting green light already, as his tired eyes adjusted to the new level of darkness encompassing their refuge. "It's done," the blonde man whispered with an air of finality. "Cloud has invoked the Goddess' Gift, and its journey to the heart of the Planet has begun," he added.

Reno snorted in his typical fashion whenever he heard the name of his long-time adversary. One hand scratched the back of his neck; a habit he'd picked up since his early Turk days – a sign that said I-don't-care-and-I-don't-give-a-shit-'bout-it, especially when it came to a certain legendary Cloud Strife. He winced at the sensation of day-old grime and blood on his fingernails digging into the skin.

"Well, whatever, yo." His fingers twitched. Damn, he needed his cigarette break, and he hadn't had one for a few days. He didn't know which was worse; to go on without the nicotine, or be hauled into another of Rufus' ingenious ideas which, more often than not, failed miserably. Things just hadn't work out for them since Shinra's downfall, Reno mused.

Rufus glanced upward from his position, and unexplained look of peace showing on his pale face for the first time in many days, deep blue eyes staring at the open ceiling into the darkening twilight high above them. Days of aerial bombardment and tenacious insect-like burrowing had left the two in a sort of freshly-dug grave seventy floors below ground level. Everything above them had been destroyed or crushed, leaving a nearly-vertical gaping hole on the ceiling, which gave them a good view of the sky.

Reno would have gladly sacrificed every last vial of potion or ether in his belt just to muster his last strength and bring the president to safety, regardless of carrying, shouldering or even letting the blonde piggyback on him. It didn't matter; Rufus was the leader of Turks, and technically, was family to Reno. Reno would unquestioningly do what was expected of a loyal Turk to safeguard the president… except that One, that they had run out of every conceivable curative item they had in their packs earlier that day, Two, their MP points had run down to zero, and Three, the redhead Turk didn't think they would survive another night if the insectoid onslaught didn't stop. Struck out thrice and luck bottomed-out. _Fuck_, he cursed silently.

Reno's shoulders drooped in defeat and he gazed at the surroundings dejectedly, _hoping_, _believing_, that perhaps, by the grace of Gaia or some unknown gods in the heavens, there was a way out of their impasse situation.

There were two ways out of the room. Note, were. One was to the now-defunct elevator which had collapsed when they first found their way into the laboratory, thanks to a colony of oversized arachnids which stealthily ambushed the two battle-weary, scarcely-armed humans. They got nicely cooked by Fire3 spells in return… and then, in a cruel twist of Fate, dragged their bulky, charred, dead hides down together with the support pillars into the pits of hell. One escape route down the murky abyss.

The other way, Reno regarded sourly, was and underground tunnel which connected the lab and exited to the upper world. Which sadly, was reduced to rubble when the arachnids' silver-furred brethren decided to exact revenge in their own, inhuman, savage style. There were hundreds of them swarming all over, Reno remembered. After fighting for hours, still clearly outnumbered and with no end in sight, Rufus threw the remaining five grenades from their packs into their monster-infested shining path to freedom, buried those son-of-a-bitches under rock and twisted metal, and just in the nick of time, managed to lunge and push the redhead Turk out of harm's way. Reno decided to call Rufus as one of his family at that moment.

"Look, a shooting star," Rufus said quietly, his voice oddly soft and strained. Reno looked up in the direction where the president was pointing with a trembling finger. He caught a glimpse of a thin, golden line cutting across the darkening crimson-hued skies. Night time was fast approaching.

Rufus let out a cough, and a few rivulets of blood trailed down from his lips. Alarmed, Reno quickly shrugged off his dark-blue Turk suit and gently placed it over the president's shoulders. Rufus seemed to be shivering, and he gladly accepted the warmth offered by the Turk. Reno noted a light sheen of sweat on the forehead and the fading light from the president's blue eyes.

The Turk carefully took away the laptop and placed it aside. He grimaced at the sight that greeted him – both of the president's legs from below the knees had been severely crushed, leaving a mangled mess of blood, flesh and broken bones, which was, to Reno's gratefulness, still covered by blood-encrusted pants. It was Rufus' last attempt at saving his Turk, and of all the times, he chose that exact moment between free-falling rubble and a panicking Reno, to push the redhead away and let those massive stones crash on him instead. Reno would have beaten the shit out of Rufus and given the blonde a Tseng-style lecture on why role-reversals didn't work beyond the bedroom, except that Reno was too horrified that the damage was beyond any potion or Cure healing. There was a certain limit to what magic can do, and even after exhausting his MP points and bandages from the first-aid kit, Reno could only stand by the president, defending him from waves after waves of crawling insectoid monsters while that man worked on the laptop, defiant of the eventual outcome of his fate.

Reno's gaze remained riveted at the hole in the ceiling. Too high to climb out anyway, no ropes or leverage to hang on to, no shiny wire of hope as someone once said, and the Turk wasn't going to leave his president to bleed to death in the cold of the night. Turks swore an oath not to leave their bosses behind under any circumstances.

And Reno doesn't leave family behind either.

"I've made my wish. The debt has been paid... it really is," Rufus said with a thin upward curl on his lips, and tugged Reno's suit closer to himself for comfort. He fished out, much to Reno's amazement and barely-restrained glee, a pack of expensive cigarettes and a lighter hiding under an unseen chest pocket. He lit up a stick, and exhaled contentedly. Reno shuddered inwardly at the sight. The distinct pallor contrasted against the bloody smears on the boyish face, slightly-parted lips blurred by clouds of grey smoke, and the sweet, overpowering scent of burning tobacco and tar. It unnerved the Turk for a moment. Reno thought the president looked rather hauntingly beautiful in a way, under twilight shadows and reddish hues from the last slivers of daylight.

_Ever the sullen poet, huh?_ Reno thought.

From a distance, subtle, muted hissing and clicking sounds could be heard. Reno smiled.

"Well, I've made _three_ wishes. Beat ya to it, boss," he said and winked mischievously. Rufus cast a sideway glance at the Turk, a slight frown indicating that he wasn't amused to be outdone by the redhead.

Reno moved gingerly so that he was kneeling between the president's legs. The Turk ignored the bloody pool underneath his legs; his dark blue pants were already stained with too much red from earlier scuffles with insectoid encounters. The red-haired man leaned downward, flashed his trademark grin when Rufus' breath hitched and his grin got a little wider when he caught the blonde staring at him.

Reno let his fingers roam the expanse of the clothed abs and up the torso. Rufus flinched when he felt his right nipple being pressed over silk-covered surface. Reno smiled like a Cheshire cat with an unnatural glint in his eyes when he finally found what he needed. With a quick, trained flip of his hand, he pulled out one cigarette and let it linger between his lips, the end touching Rufus' lit one. A few seconds and some bated breaths later, Reno was holding his lighted cigarette just inches above Rufus' jaw, and the redhead proceeded to blow a cloud of warm, rich-scented smoke into the blonde's chest.

"First, _this_ one's for paying all the shitty overtime work I've done for you, including today," Reno nuzzled at Rufus' neck while twirling his cigarette threateningly close to the president's face. Rufus moaned unconsciously, feeling intoxicated by the sharp, burning smell mixed with the musky, heady, sweaty scent that belonged only to Reno, and the helpless sensation of being trapped against the wall.

Reno moved achingly slowly upwards, sucking briefly at the quickening pulse beneath the jawline and eliciting a louder groan from the blonde in the process, and he slid skin against skin, until his lips nibbled at one corner of the stunned president's mouth. It took a lot out of Rufus' draining will not to let go of his cigarette when he found himself being kissed by the red-haired Turk. It was a gentle kiss; wet tongue gliding over the glossed lip surface, moistening it, before diving inside, stroking lightly and teasingly at the undersides in a familiar rhythm that Rufus knew all too well.

"Second,_ this_ one's for being the cocky, stubborn brat I had to endure since the day you picked me up from the Slums," Reno growled when he moved to the earlobes, attacking them with lustful licks and hungry suckling on the soft flesh. Rufus, in his weakened, off-balanced and unprepared state, tried to push away the Turk, but Reno managed to fasten his grip on flailing wrists before the blonde could react. Rufus arched his back, shoulder blades digging into the wall dizzy and moaning, when one knee grinded his crotch.

Then it was over. Reno pulled back abruptly, looking slightly flushed but none the more aroused nor excited in his standard white Turk-issue shirt that was adorned by some bloody cuts and tears. He adjusted the disheveled suit on the president, buttoned up the inner vest where they came off, and even patted on the blonde's head affectionately before he rose to turn away.

Rufus, still gasping for breath and dazed by the unexpected advance from the Turk, stared wide-eyed into the darkness.

"What…?"

"My third wish?" Reno responded, not facing the president. He continued with a serious tone, "You're family, Rufus. You've paid your debt to the Planet, and I expect none the less from you as well. Family members stick together and help out one another, don't they?"

Rufus watched as from the back as Reno took another drag from his cigarette, flicked it away and dug out his trusty emag from his pocket. One snap of strong wrists, and the weapon was released from its leather-bound holder, extending to a full three feet in a single heartbeat. The hissing and clicking sounds had become louder over the past few minutes, and Rufus realized that the walls surrounding the opening would soon be crawling with those blasted creatures. Again.

Out of potions, elixirs and ethers, empty packs lying in one corner while broken accessories and armors dumped on the other side of the room, no back-up Turks on the way, zero MP for the both, and hardly enough HP to survive another barrage attacks. Rufus calmly checked each one off the list, mentally. He dimly remembered the last twenty bullets loaded in his rifle, and Reno's last two electric packs stowed somewhere on the redhead's belt.

The proverbial Sector Seven train had run its full course and it was time to retire to the graveyard.

"I've spent a lifetime thinking about it, boss. Have a little more faith in your Turk, yo," Reno called out as he disappeared into the darkness, one hand waving his emag in a gesture of farewell.

Rufus could imagine the grin on Reno's face, and he soon found himself chuckling. As the Turk yelled out his last battle cry and charged into the new wave of six-legged monsters that had crawled their way through, Rufus reached for his laptop and switched it on for the final time that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 4  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

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**μ - εуλ 1997/08**

"… and three civilian casualties! Ifrit's blood, do you even know how much it'll cost us to enlist the Turks for the clean-up??"

Zack blinked. He continued to stare at the moving mouth, spewing angry words which went in and straight out of his ears anyway, the occasional huff of hot breath coming out from flared-up nostrils, and the very tiny, hardly noticeable spittle flying out between perfect set of teeth. And yes, the very fine black thatch of hair on the chin that signified a new, budding goatee and as Zack's line of sight followed upwards and to the side, he noted the day-old shadow along the strong, muscled jaw.

"If only you weren't such screw-ups on your first mission…" Angeal growled distastefully while shaking his head, gloved fingers pinching the spot between furrowed brows. More fatigued than fuming, he resigned to glaring as much as blazing his Mako-grey eyes would allow, and crossing his arms over his chest in what he hoped would be a very convincing, intimidating display towards the three inept SOLDIERs that had failed so spectacularly on their first actual field mission in SectorTwo.

He was running the figures inside his head – 50,000 gil per civilian casualty clean-up, 30,000 gil per shop outlet wrecked, 80,000 gil for miscellaneous repairs on public facilities as demanded by Mayor Domino, and last but not the least, another 100,000 gil to send three fully-armed squadrons of regular troopers led by two Second Classes to comb the Midgar Plains and hunt down the escaped AVALANCHE terrorists. He wondered if Executive Manager Lazard would pull the plug on his three-month-old attempt for a degree in SOLDIER Instructorship.

He felt that old, prickling habit to pace around the small conference room, but he decided against it, seeing that he didn't want to appear worried in front of three just-graduated SOLDIERs standing at ease in front of him.

That was when he realized he was being stared, or studied, in a disturbing Hojo-esque manner, by the newest and youngest recruit into the SOLDIER programme. He leaned forward with a very menacing look on his face.

"Are you listening to me, Third Class SOLDIER Zack Fair? What did I say?"

Zack blinked, obviously having tuned-out most of the meeting and not catching what the First Class had asked. Third Classes Yishay and Sebastian made choked sounds as they tried to stifle their giggles, but Angeal decided to ignore them for the moment.

"Well?" One dark eyebrow raised. Zack gulped belatedly, realizing he was just a step away from certain death or being eaten alive, literally. He fingered the thick fabric of his SOLDIER uniform nervously.

Zack decided to mouth out the last thing he was looking at, silently praying to all seventeen deities and twenty-seven summons he'd read from the textbooks that he'd nail the right answer. "Um… Buster Sword, Sir?" he ventured cautiously.

Angeal _fumed_ at that. Cheeks red and probably scarier-looking than Heidegger on a hot pan, he roared, "What?! Ten minutes of debriefing and all you can think of is _my sword_?!

That came out _so wrong_.

Yishay and Sebastian faltered a little in their standing positions, their muted, choked laughter very much audible in the small room. Zack could only grimace painfully, as he anticipated an imminent Deathblow.

"'Ch!" Angeal cursed, and turned around so that the SOLDIERs couldn't see his face. Too many things had gone awfully wrong that morning. Angeal took a deep breath, willed his flaring temper to cool down and mentally starting reciting his favorite lines.

First Class SOLDIER. Act professional, be professional. Show the level of restraint expected for a First Class. Never let go of your dreams and pride as a SOLDIER.

He exhaled when the room had become starkly quiet. The three SOLDIERs obviously knew that their little playtime was over, that Zack had incredibly survived a First Class lashing, and they braced themselves for their next assignment… or punishment, whichever came first.

"Five page reports from each of you, on my desk, before oh-nine-hundred-tomorrow," Angeal instructed clearly and calmly. A little smug tugged at his lips when he heard some groans and swearing from the SOLDIERs.

"I'll have a word with First Class Genesis later today and see if we can slot in another mission before the end of the week. Remember to check your cellphones frequently for announcements."

More grousing and griping from the young SOLDIERs at the prospect of more grueling training and being sent on a wild goose chase after escaped terrorists or monstrous lab runaways.

Angeal returned to his original position, facing his SOLDIERs. "I will not tolerate any form of insubordination, last-minute MIA reports, or excuses of having_ dead batteries_." He emphasized the last point with another smouldering, threatening glare at Zack, silently hoping that he'd burn holes deep enough into the obstinate recruit's brain to remind him that Shinra-issue cellphones were both battery _and solar_ powered. He took a little satisfaction from seeing the young teenage boy shrinking and shriveling up in his uniform. Score one for Intimidation Technique Number 34.

"Beta-3 Squadron, dismissed!"

All three Third Class SOLDIERs saluted crisply, followed by heavy boots shuffling eagerly out of the suffocating room.

Zack, being the shortest and the last to leave, yelped when Angeal grabbed his forearm. He looked up, feeling afraid of yet another First Class punishment being dished out to him. But he was surprised when Angeal showed no anger in his face, nor the usual frown that made the man look ten years older than he should be.

Angeal sighed, sensing that innate obligation _not _to pass up the opportunity to lecture at the bright young recruit he'd taken under his wing just a few weeks before. "Zack, please pay more attention to the mission objectives the next time. I can't be watching your back forever," he said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. "Keep trying your best, and don't lose sight of your focus, Fair."

Zack raked his spiky hair once, an uncertain look on him that made Angeal cringed inside his mind. He was sure he'd alienated the boy with the constant unpleasant attention and berating.

But Zack simply gave him a toothy grin and a two-finger salute. "I understand, sir. I've got dreams and pride to hold on to, a SOLDIER's honour to protect, and I won't disappoint you again, sir!" With that, Zack took off into a sprint with a thumbs-up gesture, leaving a surprised, jaw-dropped Angeal behind.

Angeal had to take a moment to regain his composure. He wondered if he should think of a new tagline for himself.

-------------------------------------------------

"Oh man, oh man, this is _awesome!_" the raven-haired teenage boy ranted on.

He had examined his uniform meticulously (noting every stray thread and tiny holes he hadn't bothered to patch up), inhaled enough smoggy, pollution-choked air that blanketed most of Midgar (until he went into a fit of sneezing and coughing), touched the barracks walls repeatedly and savouring the feel of gritty sandstone and solid concrete sliding underneath his fingers (until he realized that some SOLDIERs were giving him dirty looks), and tasted and simply enjoyed the plop of brownish goo, greenish ooze, and yellowish dollop with a healthy serving of watered-down coffee (which his fellow comrades thought were spiked due to the blissful, post-orgasmic look that stayed with him through the breakfast _ordeal_).

It felt good to be alive, Zack thought. Thousands of questions were running through his head, but he was just contented to spend the mid-morning sitting on a curb by the sidewalk, eyes closed, humming to an old Gongagan folksong, feeling the bright morning sunlight warming his tanned skin, and listening to the constant rumble of army trucks and troopers drilling and marching in the background. A nagging reminder about a five-page report was neatly filed away to the backstorage of his mind. He needed to do some serious exploration and fact-finding first. He still wasn't quite sure how he ended up where he was. And later, he would have to find the opportunity to sneak out and head for the church. He hoped she would be there, waiting for him.

Zack's line of thoughts were interrupted when he heard some familiar voices from a short distance.

The Great General Sephiroth treaded hurriedly along the opposite path, a look of disdain evident on his face and Masamune hanging heavily from his belt. First Class SOLDIER Genesis walked briskly beside the silver-haired legend. The crimson warrior held what Zack noted to be a crinkled colorful poster with the words "Loveless" and "Audition" in visible, large fonts. The red-haired SOLDIER poked at the poster excitedly while engaging in what looked suspiciously to be a one-sided conversation with the disgruntled General. Just before they rounded off a corner, Zack observed amusedly through Mako-enhanced vision as Genesis clutched impatiently at a lock of the soft, impeccably-cleaned silver hair, while shoving an artistic rendition of Goddess Minerva nearly smack on the General's face.

Sephiroth swatted away at the annoying hold on his sacred mane and sped up his pace. Zack could hear Genesis shouting back, "Aw, c'mon Seph! It looks perfect on you! Please? For me?", before running off to catch up with the General.

Zack nearly forgot to swallow the lump in his throat, when another untoward incident occurred (one after another, Zack would later recall). A booted foot tripped over his back, there was a loud "umph!", a flash of Shinra's regular sky-blue trooper uniform, and then and a mess of short, spiky blond tumbled over him.

A scrawny blonde teenager that looked too underfed and too underaged to be walking in the vicinity of Shinra's military compounds, splayed clumsily in front of him.

"S-s-sorry, Sir!" panic was thick the tiny voice, as the boy scrambled to all fours, and started to gather all the dropped letters and packages that littered the ground.

Zack carefully picked up one brown letter, his heartbeat racing and countless butterflies fluttering inside his stomach, as he edged closer to peer at the boy's face.

"C.. Cloud?!"

The young blonde _squeaked_, fell ungraciously on his rump with a dull thud, and the few letters he managed to grab slid awkwardly down to the tarred road.

Zack broke into a suppressed chortle and helped the blonde up. They collected the pile of letters and packages and Zack returned them to Cloud, who accepted his help gratefully. Zack realized too late when his fingers automatically moved to dust off the dirt from Cloud's sleeves, which caused the blonde to flinch and stagger a step back.

_Oh boy_, Zack thought.

Zack paused, raked uncertainly his raven spikes for a moment and then decided to start off with introductions, _slowly_. Cloud's confused gaze probably meant that they _hadn't_ met. And weren't supposed to until the Modeoheim mission.

"I, um, saw your name on…" _C'mon on Zacky-boy, where do you find trooper names? _"… the duty roster at the front... um, desk." Zack swallowed nervously.

Cloud's confused look turned into a wary one, and then when the boy finally got a full view of the older one's uniform, he gasped. He immediately straightened up and saluted.

"Ah, SOLDIER, Sir! I'm Cadet Cloud Strife from Zeta-7!" Cloud glanced at the stack of documents which he gripped securedly against his side. "I… I've been assigned to mailroom duties for the week, Sir!"

Zack shrugged. He had forgotten how asphyxiatingly rigid it felt to be addressed formally.

"At ease, cadet."

"Yes, sir!" stubborn as a mule, Cloud remained stiff where he stood.

Zack shook his head, exasperated. He placed a steady grip on the boy's shoulders, ignoring the boy's reflex to flinch away. "Relax, Cloud. I may be a Third Class but unlike what you've heard from the rumor mill, I don't bite, and I don't have troopers for breakfast."

Now _that_ got a crooked smile in response. Not the beaming smile that Zack had hoped for, but it was a humble start.

"I'm Zack Fair, by the way," he barked out with the friendliest voice he could manage and the widest sparkling grin he could offer, and held out his right hand.

Cloud took the hand hesitantly and shook it lightly, his blue eyes gleaming in astonishment. "Ah.. how do you do, Sir."

"Just Zack, please. I'm not on duty right now," Zack chuckled and peeked at the stack under Cloud's arms. "So… where are you off to with today's mails?" he asked.

Cloud seemed to relax a little as he took out the stack and concentrated on identifying the addressees on the envelopes. "I… um, I have to get to…" his voice faltered, brows furrowing, as he tried to read a particularly hard-to-decipher address that consisted of an unidentifiable name, followed by a string of alphabets and numbers which made no sense at all to the common layman.

"They're coded according sector, rank, squadron unit and unique individual identifiers, you know," Zack murmured while scanning the letter in Cloud's hands. He recognized it instantly, a fellow Second Class SOLDIER he'd paired up with… supposedly _a year from now_.

It was strange to be talking about people he knew in the _future_ tense, Zack mused.

It was Cloud's turn to shake his head. The unhappy look on the boy's face was pitiful, and it broke Zack's heart a little. "I've just joined three months ago, and I don't really know my way around yet."

"Well, c'mon, I know where this should go. He's in Epsilon Two, and he's stationed near the northern gates across the training grounds. Let's go!" Zack grinned with sudden renewed interest and excitement in his voice, and tugged energetically at Cloud's free hand.

Zack didn't even bother to restrain his Mako-enhanced speed and strength; he let himself happily drag a stammering, stumbling blonde all the way across the military compounds that the two had called 'home' once, in another time, and another world.

Somewhere along the way, the raven-haired boy joyfully shouted, "Don't worry! I'll take care of you, kid!" and "We'll be good friends from now on!", leaving more than just a few curious passers-by staring at the odd couple disappearing into the faraway borders on one sunny, autumn morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 5  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

**A/N : Due to formatting restrictions, this chapter will look crappy unless you do the following (I'm old-school, I know) :**

**1. Copy and paste the chapter into Notepad. Alternatively, paste it into some word-processing programme and set the font style to "Courier New, size 10"**

**2. Change the round brackets in "- )" to angle brackets.**

**3. Ignore the full stops (periods) that precede each line. Pretend they're dot-matrix print-outs or something.**

**4. If you want the original chapter its fully-formatted glory, feel free to contact (see my user profile).**

-------------------------------------------------

- WELCOME TO G.A.I.A. CORE CONTROL SYSTEM v3.0  
- Project-C (C) Copyright (ν)εуλ 0018 Shinra, Inc.  
- Z:\  
-  
-  
- ) Project-C AUTO-RUN SCRIPT ACTIVATED  
-  
-  
- ) AUTO-RUN Z:\Project-C\Antivirus.exe  
- LOADING Antivirus  
- . . . . ERROR  
- UNKNOWN ERROR DETECTED IN J:\JNV1z0tmp\  
- FILE NOT FOUND  
-  
-  
- ) AUTO-RUN Z:\Find Antivirus  
- SEARCHING . . . . .  
- LOCATED Z:\RECYCLE-BIN\Antivirus001.del  
- FILE DELETED  
- . . . . ERROR  
- UNKNOWN ERROR DETECTED IN J:\JNV1z0tmp\JNV.exe  
- FILE NOT FOUND  
-  
-  
- ) UNKNOWN Executable File DETECTED  
- ) Project-C DETECTION SCRIPT ACTIVATED  
- ) AUTO-RUN DIR J:\  
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- Volume in drive J is GAIA-3.0  
- Volume Serial Number is 0000-0018  
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- Directory of J:\  
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- 01/01/0000 00:00 AM (DIR) JNV1z0tmp  
- 01/01/0000 00:00 AM (DIR) backup  
- 01/01/0000 00:00 AM (DIR) reunion  
- 0 Files(s) 0 Corebytes  
- 3 Dir(s) 1,030,097 Corebytes free  
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- ) UNKNOWN Files AND Directories DETECTED in J:\  
- ) Project-C COMMSCAN SCRIPT ACTIVATED  
- ) AUTO-RUN Comm.exe GAIA.master Port:80 /Scan J:\  
-  
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- . . .  
-  
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- GAIA.master) PLEASE ENTER USER ID  
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- GAIA.master) NON-CETRA USER IDENTIFIED. PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD  
- ) xxxxxxxxxx  
- . . . . . . . . . .  
- . . .  
-  
-  
- GAIA.master) Data uplink established.  
- GAIA.master) Welcome RUFUS.  
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- ) Project-C FINALE SCRIPT ACTIVATED  
- ) AUTO-RUN SENDMSG TXTMSG /setdate /settime /setattach  
- ) TXTMSG SUBJECT : From Me, To Me  
- ) TXTMSG BODY (MAX. 255 CHARS) : Attached FYI. P and C.  
- ) TXTMSG SETTIME : 0700  
- ) TXTMSG SETDATE (P)εуλ YYYY/MM/DD : (μ)εуλ 1997/08/02  
- ) TXTMSG SETATTACH : Z:\Project-C\Project-C.v4.0.release.zip  
- . . . .  
- . . . .  
-  
-  
- ATTACHMENT UPLOADED SUCCESSFULLY  
- . . .  
-  
-  
- TXTMSG SENT SUCCESSFULLY  
- THANK YOU FOR USING iGAIA.MAIL  
-  
-  
- ) AUTO-RUN Del Project-C  
- Z:\Project-C\ Are you sure (Y/N)?  
- ) Y  
-  
-  
- Z:\  
-  
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- GAIA.master) Performing routine scan on GAIA\root\  
- GAIA.master) Your last scan was 7 day(s) ago.  
- GAIA.master) . . . . . . . . . .  
- GAIA.master) . . . . . . . . . .  
- GAIA.master) Scan completed.  
- GAIA.master) 0 error(s) detected.  
- GAIA.master) 0 virus(es) detected.  
- GAIA.master)  
- GAIA.master) Non-essential addendum :  
- GAIA.master) Thank you RUFUS... Thank you... Thank you...


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Project C – Chapter 6  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

-------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in a private suite in Junon Harbor, Rufus Shinra groped around sleepily at thick layers of freshy-laundered blankets adorned by ornate Wutaian dragon designs, and multiple super-sized and incredibly soft pillows richly embroidered with the finest golden threads and jewels from as far south as Mideel. There was a gentle tugging at his wrists, and still caught somewhere between slumber and awakening, he thought he must have twisted the silken bedsheets around his limbs.

He tried to move his legs, enjoying the sensation of velvet Shinra logo-emblazoned pyjamas rubbing against his calves and silk caressing his bare soles. There it was again, that annoying tugging on his ankles that restricted his movements. He must have had a nightmare, with so much of the expensive sheets wrapped around him in uncomfortable ways.

He was fairly certain it was way past seven o' clock in the morning, since he tended to wake up before or around sunrise, and he felt that he had somewhat overslept. But it was way too dark to be seven o' clock. Sunrise at Junon was supposed to be bright and cheerful compared to the gloom which defined Midgar, accompanied by the sounds of seagulls and the soft crashing waves of the great ocean.

It was way too quiet, other than the constant hum of the air-conditioning. He struggled to open his sleep-heavy eyes in the darkness, he noticed that someone had drawn in the thick curtains. Disconcerted, he rose with a lazy yawn and intended to stretch like a cat on the lush king-sized bed –

– only to find himself rudely pulled back by leather straps that bound him onto the bed. Panicking, he realized that he was spread-eagled with his limbs secured to the bedposts.

"Good morning, sir."

Rufus twisted to the right, blue eyes flashing with anger and humiliation. He had never, ever been treated this way. It was an utter disgrace for the teenage blonde.

"What the fuck are you doing, Reno?" venom-laced words spat out in rage, though Rufus winced when he heard his voice break a little.

The redhead Turk, nearing his twenties and possessing a slightly taller build than the teenage Vice President, walked over to the bed and leaned one knee between the boy's legs. He wasn't wearing his Turk suit, which meant that he was not on duty. Rufus wrinkled his nose in disgust when he caught whiff of alcohol and smoke from the heavily-creased white shirt and standard Turk-issue dark blue slacks.

Reno lowered himself further until his lips nearly touched Rufus', both arms gripping painfully on the ensnared wrists. The Turk grinned in a sinister, predatory way that sent a chill running down the blonde's spine.

"Your wake-up call, sir," the redhead whispered hotly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Project C – Omake?  
**Fandom:** FF7  
**Rating: **M for language, and I don't want young children to get the wrong idea about sexual relationships… and computers. Really.  
**Warnings:** AU from the very beginning… and end?  
**Characters:** Zack, Cloud, Rufus, Reno.  
**Summary:** The last Project to resolve that one last problem in FF7. Hardcore Sci-Fi. Features Zack x Cloud, Rufus x Reno. Not to forget, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth as well.

**A/N : Due to formatting restrictions, this chapter will look crappy unless you do the following (I'm old-school, I know) :**

**1. Copy and paste the chapter into Notepad. Alternatively, paste it into some word-processing programme and set the font style to "Courier New, size 10"**

**2. Change the round brackets in "- )" to angle brackets.**

**3. Ignore the full stops (periods) that precede each line. Pretend they're dot-matrix print-outs or something.**

**4. If you want the original chapter its fully-formatted glory, feel free to contact (see my user profile).**

-------------------------------------------------

- WELCOME TO G.A.I.A. CORE CONTROL SYSTEM v3.0  
- Project-C (C) Copyright (ν)εуλ 0018 Shinra, Inc.  
- Z:\  
-  
-  
- ) Project-C temp.bat SCRIPT ACTIVATED  
- ) AUTO-RUN LOGIN USERID xxxxx PASS xxxxxxxxxx  
- . . . .  
- . . . . . .  
- . .  
-  
-  
- OVERWRITE chardata user1:RUFUS user2:RENO  
- FILE FOUND Rufus.v3.0.ID. OVERWRITE SUCCESSFUL  
- FILE FOUND Reno.v3.0.ID. OVERWRITE SUCCESSFUL  
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- FILE FOUND Rufus.v3.0.CLASS. OVERWRITE SUCCESSFUL  
- FILE FOUND Reno.v3.0.CLASS. OVERWRITE SUCCESSFUL  
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- . . .  
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- CLASS-A PRIVILEDGE ACCESS GRANTED  
- BYPASSSED  
- AUTOEXEC.BAT BYPASSED  
- COREMENU.CLASS-A.EXE LOADING  
- . . . .  
- . . .  
-  
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- WELCOME RUFUS -SAMA!  
- The Time is 0700  
- The Date is (μ)εуλ 1997/08/02  
- Your Last Login was (ν)εуλ 0018/11/09  
- Please input your command?  
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-  
- ) AUTO-RUN SET RELSHP user1:RUFUS user2:RENO /dom /sub  
- USER RESTRICTION LEVEL 92  
- ACCESS GRANTED  
- . . . .  
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- CURRENT RELSHP SETTINGS user1:RUFUS Dom:95 Sub:25  
- ENTER NEW (Dom, Sub) SETTING FOR user1:RUFUS ?  
- ) 95, 25  
- NO CHANGE IN user1:RUFUS SETTINGS  
- SETTINGS NOT SAVED  
-  
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- CURRENT RELSHP SETTINGS user2:RENO Dom: 40 Sub:70  
- ENTER NEW (Dom, Sub) SETTING FOR user2:RENO ?  
- ) 255, 20  
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- NEW user2:RENO RELSHP SETTINGS SAVED  
-  
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- ) /EXIT  
-  
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- LOGGING OFF  
- GOODBYE RUFUS -SAMA!  
- Z:\  
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- GAIA.master) Unauthorized AUTO-RUN script found.  
- GAIA.master) Unauthorized access detected.  
- GAIA.master) Unauthorized data modification detected.  
- GAIA.master) Loading RESTORE.EXE SETUP /chardata user1:RUFUS user2:RENO  
- GAIA.master) CLASS-A chardata identified.  
- GAIA.master) ERROR 403 FORBIDDEN. ACCESS DENIED.  
- GAIA.master) SETUP cannot continue. Please contact Core.Admin.Cetra for technical support.

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To be continued?

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_A/N : In case anyone's wondering, I've caught the fluffy Zack x Cloud bug. Damn. So my other fic ideas, including the Evil Z-centric one – went straight out the window and seventy floors down the Shinra Tower. With a new job, a new promotion and tons of real-life issues coming up in 2008, I don't know if I'll be able to continue any of my fics. But do R&R – that helps encourage the muses :-)_

_Anyone interested to take up any of my fics and continue/write a sequel… please feel free to do so. Just give credits where due, that's all that I ask for :-)_

_A nod to ol' MS-DOS, Starflight II, Might & Magic and oh, Ai no Kusabi too, if you managed to squint hard enough. _

_This fic is dedicated to the few who didn't like Evil!Rufus from my other fic, "Fulfilled Desire". So here you go, a NotSoGood!Rufus… Kya hah hah!_


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